Hand Spun and Woven Cashmere Shawl in Navy Blue, 'Changthang Navy'

Details

Deep navy blue and off-white mingle beautifully in a shawl from India's Karmabhoomi artisans. Woven by hand of hand-spun cashmere, the elegant wrap is generous and soft. The ends are unfinished and culminate in short fringe, and the shawl itself reveals subtle twill textures.

Made in India

100% cashmere

Dry clean only

Textile softness: Soft -- this item has been made with natural fibers that are soft to the touch

Product Reviews By Customers

Meet the Artist

Meet the Artist

"Karmabhoomi uses Ladakh’s abundant resources to generate incomes for the villagers which will be invested in the local people's education."

"Karmabhoomi focuses on helping Indian villages by teaching skills with available resources to promote self-sufficiency, known as Karm. We aim to teach people and generate employment opportunities in rural communities through education, skills and resources. After traveling across India for months, we found that people in villages are happier compared to people in cities and towns but don't have a sustainable source of income and education.

"Karmabhoomi uses Ladakh's abundant resources to generate incomes for the villagers which will be invested in the local people's education. We provide people with the skills and employment by creating sustainable small scale industries. We want to create products that are nationally and internationally recognized, as well as improving the cultural heritage of India. We are dedicated to creating a sustainable source of income and education in villages to stop the migration of village population.

"The shawls Karmabhoomi produces take several steps. The raw material for our creations are pashmina and sheep’s wool that we obtain once a year from different villages in Changthang block in Ladakh. We get wool from each village with many people pitching in to help. The village head is responsible for collecting because it employs so many people and allows them to earn a living. Then we transport the wool to our plant.

"We process our wool with the help of 13 people and two assistants. Once the wool is processed, it is hand-spun by 52 workers into fiber using charkha and other hand tools. After spinning the wool, our weaving section creates the shawls on 48 handlooms. Then finally, we have the embellishment and ornamentation section to finish the shawls. At each step of creating the shawls, we have supervisors and assistants to assure their quality.

"Ladakh’s location near the border makes it a difficult territory to travel. Ladakh is a tight-knit community that usually doesn't accept outsiders. It took us many years to earn the people's trust and help them understand Karmabhoomi’s aims.

"While starting to work in Ladakh and Kashmir, we faced problems with the secret agencies and local administration. We were so emotionally and financially exhausted that we had to stop working in Ladakh for a time. The initial stages of setting up the venture were so challenging that we felt that we wouldn't be able to survive. We came up against resistance from the local agencies and people against allowing others to prosper.

"Working in Ladakh’s wintry conditions made some of the volunteers and members sick. But all of these challenges only motivated us to keep working towards achieving our goal. Most of this project's expenses were paid from our members' personal savings.

"There were also some frightening moments which are now funny experiences for us. We were shooting a documentary one winter night in Ladakh when the temperature dropped to -30 degree centigrade. While shooting, a light suddenly turned on us and we were ordered to raise our hands in the air or else be shot. After 15 minutes at gunpoint, we were given clearance by the Indian army. We thought that if they kept us in this position for another minute, we would die from the cold. It was a scary moment then, but now we all laugh a lot."

We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.

This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.

Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.

If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.

In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.

This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).

WOMEN

S

M

L

XL

XXL

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

BUST

35

36

37

38

39

41

42

44

45

47

WAIST

27

28

29

30

31

33

34

35

36

37

HIPS

37

38

39

40

41

43

44

46

47

48

MEN

S

M

L

XL

XXL

CHEST

36 - 38

39 - 41

42 - 44

46 - 48

50 - 52

WAIST

29 - 31

32 - 34

35 - 37

38 - 40

41 - 43

NECK

14 - 14.5

15 - 15.5

16 - 16.5

17 - 17.5

18 - 18.5

SLEEVE

32.5

33.5

34.5

35.5

36.5

FINDING YOUR SIZE

Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.

BUST / CHEST

Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.

WAIST

Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.

LOW WAIST

Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.

HIPS

Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.

NECK

Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.

SLEEVE

Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.

INSEAM

Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.

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WIN # 1 You Save!

Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. UNICEF USA partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from UNICEF Market to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.

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Each item purchased from UNICEF Market will benefit UNICEF's programs that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.